Origin
by DaughterofPavlov
Summary: In a modern day equivalent of Seyrunn, bizarre occurrences are happening left from right. It's up to the Fringe Division to reach resolve of these issues and save their world. Fringe inspired AU with Slayers characters and setting.


**Synopsis:** In a modern day equivalent of Seyrunn, bizarre occurrences are happening left from right. It's up to the Fringe Division to reach resolve of these issues and save their world. Slayers/Fringe AU.

**High PG-13 Rating:** Rated T+ for violence, thematic elements, coarse language, and brief mild sexual innuendo (nothing heavy though).

_The Slayers_ and all its respected characters (c) Hajime Kanzaka, Rui Araizumi, Central Park Media, Funimation Entertainment, Enoki Films, Software Sculptors, and J.C. Staff.

Fringe and all its characters (c) FOX and J.J. Abrams

* * *

**Origin**

**Chapter One: Part One**

_How it All Began_

Dusk had graced its presence as Filia Ul Copt drove home in the early hours of the evening.

Gripping tightly to the steering wheel, she fought hard to stay awake as she was feeling the mental fatigue from the day. Her eyes fluttered as she continued her trek back home and she could only pray she could get there in one piece. Fortunately, her home was not too far away and after going down the last main stretch of her road and turning into her driveway, at last she reached her quaint abode. Sighing heavily after putting her vehicle into park mode, Filia dramatically flung her head back in exhaustion and hit her head against the head cushion of the driver's seat.

"Finally!" she cried. After a couple more composing breaths, she exited her vehicle, locking it before she walked towards her front door. The blonde woman's gait illustrated her staggering a bit due to the immense physical drain that she had succumbed during her arduous day. Now, all the young woman wanted to do was unwind, take off her shoes, and slip on some more leisurely clothes.

Like many women, Filia had a purse that seemed to be a labyrinth. This then brought about the existence of a quest to find anything inside of it. Rummaging around she groaned in exasperation as she desperately searched for her house key. At last finding her key in her cluttered purse, she inserted it into the lock turning the key until success was obtained. Walking into the doorway, she called out to seemingly no one, "Elder, I'm home."

Walking further into the home, Filia found it odd that almost all the lights were off in the house. The only obvious glimmer she could see was the glowing glare of the television in her living room. When she initially left, she had definitely kept at least one light on in every room in the house. She was soon to shrug off the observation though as it could have been the actions of the elderly individual residing with her. After turning back on a light or two, the young woman journeyed into the living room. There sat a decrepit old man staring straight at the illuminated television, his outline hardly visible in a large, vintage, cornflower blue chair.

His eyes sagged from obvious age as he stared mindlessly at the screen and his outward appearance portrayed a man at least eighty five years old. "Filia," he called in a raspy voice, "you're finally home."

Smiling in the direction of the old man with no certainty of him either being delighted in her return or him being obstinate, she replied, "I'm going to start dinner shortly. What would you like?"

Breathing into his nostrils making a sickly sound, the old man answered, "Tuna Noodle Casserole."

Fortunately for Filia, rather than spending the next couple of hours putting a meal together, she had smartly made the very casserole a few days ago and froze individual portions for later use. Now in her kitchen, she began to head to the freezer and fetch said casserole when all of a sudden, a jolt shot through her body. She froze instantly as the hairs on her back stood on end. After a few seconds, she looked about her immediate surroundings but ended up not finding the causation of her fear. Trying to shake it off, the young woman resumed her search but couldn't still fathom letting it go. It was as if some great evil was lurking in her house.

"Filia!" the old man called once more, "Wheel of Fortune will be on soon. Come. Sit with me."

Shaking her head from his impatience and still trying to disperse her previous anxiety, she replied, "I'm just getting dinner ready Elder. I'll be there soon."

At last, she was able to regain herself enough to put the elder's meal in her low wattage microwave. "Fifteen minutes," Filia said to herself as she pressed the start button to the appliance.

She then began the preparations for the kale salad they would share. Since she was so tired, the young woman assumed a light salad would satiate her appetite enough. Not to mention, she like most women was working on maintaining a decent figure. Kale, cranberries, carrots, and radishes were retrieved from the fridge and a cutting board was removed from a drawer. With every slice and dice made with the knife, Filia felt a sense of catharsis. All the stress she had throughout the day seemed to melt away from the rhythmic motion of the blade. Once everything was all chopped up and ready to go, the blonde began to plate up salad and take both plates to the living room. The elderly man had been calling her incessantly and she just assumed he was hungry and wanted her to sit down and watch his favorite program with him.

"Wheel-of-Fortune!" the elder croaked alongside the opening to the game show.

The woman just rolled her eyes playfully as she strode into the living room with their salads. "I brought salad to start off with," she told him as she came into his view.

Merely looking up with a vacant expression, the elder returned his attention to the spinning wheel on the television. Knowing he wouldn't eat the greens on his own from a mixture of inability and defiance, Filia knelt down and began putting parts of the salad on his fork. Then, just as she was feeding a child, she brought the greens to his mouth and encouraged him to eat. Luckily for Filia, the elder was very active with the game and every time he interjected a vowel or a consonant, she sneakily put a bite in his mouth. Even better, he didn't fight it or spit anything out when she did so.

Then came the familiar buzz of the microwave finished heating the entree. Setting the plate down on a nearby side table, Filia rose up and assured the old man that she would return momentarily.

"I'm just making sure it's hot enough, Elder. I'll be right back."

Alas, the elderly man hardly seemed phased being so fully engrossed with his program.

Back in the kitchen once more, the young blonde poked and prodded at the casserole testing it to make sure it was fully thawed. Bringing a small portion to her pink lips to test the heat, she heard the sudden crash of a window breaking. Dropping the utensil instantly, she shrieked in surprise, her pupils dilated to small slits. Breathing heavily and her heart racing, she hastily ran to a nearby closet. She grabbed her handy mace, a family artifact that had been passed down the family line for an extensive period of time. The perfect weapon to face a would-be intruder. Soon after retrieval of her weapon, she frantically began to search everywhere to pinpoint the epicenter of the noise but after searching the entryway, every room upstairs, and not detecting it in the kitchen in the first place, only two places remained; her utility/pottery sculpting room, or the living room.

Not hearing any noise from the elder initially, she first motioned for the utility room. Stealthily, the young woman crept to the utility door, a trembling had reaching towards the knob. At last grabbing hold of the handle, the door flung open and she released a snarl from her vocal chords as she charged into the room, the mace in her grasp and posed to attack. However, after looking about the room, there was no sign of a break in. No glass, no draft, no intruder. Sighing, Filia felt a sense of relief. Perhaps the sound had come from a neighbor's house, some teenagers throwing a glass bottle as they drove by, or given her mental and physical state, maybe it was all in her head.

Walking out more nonchalantly, she felt a greater ease in her apprehensions. In a sudden flash though, that sense of security was shattered when she heard the indistinguishable sound of a gun shot resonating through the house. This sound she knew could only come from her home and in the last place she would have looked.

The living room.

In a mad dash, she ran to the very room, her mace still in tow and froze in her tracks at the sight of the unimaginable. Blood stained her normally pristine carpet and a mysterious figure stood in front of her elderly companion. It was a man wearing a black suit and a white dress shirt poking out underneath the midnight fabric. His hair was a rich shade of violet, straight and medium in length. His eyes were closed and a small devilish smile was imprinted on his lips. A tiny chuckled resonated in his throat as he stood before the elder.

Not afraid of the intruder and gravely concerned for the old man, Filia hastily ran in his direction and screamed, "Stay back! I'll hurt you, I promise you! You-You-Monster!"

That last comment seemed to perturb the man a bit as one closed eye slowly opened to reveal an iris just as violet as his straight locks. The smile he once bore had dissipated to a neutral appearance. He didn't appear angry though, just mildly annoyed.

Bringing her attention to the elderly man now, Filia cried at the sight of blood pouring from a wound inflicted on the upper portion of his chest. His body began to go through convulsions as the young woman immediately tried to cease the bleeding with the sweater she had been wearing that day.

Still, despite his rapid decline the old fossil continued to watch the television and when it came time for someone to have the opportunity to buy a vowel he uttered throatily, "I'd like to buy a vowel. Y?"

Perhaps it was just him mindlessly following the actions on the screen, but as it came from his cracked lips, it was as if he asked in the form of Why? Why did you do this to me? Whether it was a real question or not, as soon as that utterance escaped his lips, the dark figure finished off the old man. Like lightening another bullet was fired from the man's gun. The projectile pierced the elder's skull, killing him instantly.

Filia was left aghast. "Elder..." she whimpered as she looked upon his lifeless body, her hands trembling as she still held the article of clothing to his chest. Blood dripped from the hole in his forehead now and a truly blank expression engulfed his face. The eyes that she saw in life that seemed so dead were truly just that now.

A soft but menacing chuckle resonated in the intruder's throat, as Filia's eyes filled to the brim with tears. As they cascaded down her face the stranger said, "I am terribly sorry to have to go to such extremes, but you see," he paused for a moment and then finished his thought. "I only need you and this old codger would get in the way."

He leaned down to her level, and she was still shaking like a leaf. She wasn't even capable of picking up her mace to defend herself. She was absolutely petrified. From underneath his jacket, the intruder pulled out a second weapon; some sort of tazer. After turning it on, it began to buzz incessantly like a mosquito desperate to land on a hapless victim. Alas, this young woman was that victim.

"Again, my humblest apologies, but I have no other option." the violet haired man coolly spoke.

As he leaned in to implement this frightening weapon, Filia could only tremble before him and cried out looking to the heavens, "God! Please forgive me!"

* * *

Dawn crept along the still streets of Seyrunn as it always did at the beginning of everyday. It was the beginning of spring and the city itself was still getting out from the grasp of another harsh winter. The trees on the city sidewalks bore evidence of budding and the regeneration of leaf growth, and bulbed flowers in the forms of snow drops, daffodils, and tulips began to emerge from their cold soil prisons and begin the annual process of growing into beautiful flora in the center courtyard of the great metropolis. The sounds of birds chirping softly resonated throughout the land and in addition to the sunrise melting any dew accumulated over the dark night, it was a picturesque sight to behold.

Alas, not everything was swell throughout the great country.

In a small house on the supposedly rougher side of the magic capital, the creeping streaks of morning sunshine began cascading upwards in the bedroom of a young red haired woman. The sheets that lay atop of her were being basked in the morning light as their dingy color transformed into a glowing hue. At last, the rise of the sun's rays reached the woman's face. Suffice it to say, she was the least bit amused with the dawning of a new day. She would much rather catch a few more hours of rest than propel herself out of bed. Not to mention, she may have overdid it with drinking a whole bottle of wine last night. All in all, she was fighting a major hangover. So in an effort to remedy her recent situation, the redhead rose up and began to walk over to pull her shoddy shade to block out the sun.

"God, I hate it when we have to spring forward," she grumbled in irritation, "Why can't we always just fall back?"

Rather than remind herself about the natural change of seasons and the planet being on an axis allowing such phenomenon to occur, she sought the solution of pulling her window shade. With every step she took on her cold wooden floor, the closer she was to her ultimate goal. Alas, as she took the last step close enough to reach for her blessed sun repellent, the woman neglected to look at her surroundings. Her foot stepped upon the flank of a black Cane Corso dog, once sleeping soundly. Upon impact, the dog shrieked in terror and in an effort to flee from the unintended attack, the young woman fell forward and landed face first to the floor. The dog, now realizing that the physical harm was merely her owner loomed over her now fallen human companion; her eyes still wide but now bore a perplexed look. She cocked her head to the right and her sagging jaws suspended a giant wad of saliva which with any further movement would most certainly land on her owner's person.

The red haired woman narrowed her eyes, her eyebrows arched in obvious anger and she glared at her canine. Gritting her teeth, she merely growled, "Damn it, Bitch."

In response, the dog barked back at her owner still taken aback by the whole experience. Woe be for the dear dog though, for that wad of saliva landed directly on her owner's left cheek.

Her head pounding from the result of her immense alcoholic intake the night before the young woman sought out the refuge of her cramped bathroom. Her lavatory was indeed a tiny one; small enough for the occupancy of one, there was barely ten steps of walking room from the toilet to the shower and even less to the sink in between both. Shedding her sleeping clothes; a spaghetti strapped turquoise camisole and baggy pajama pants with pots of gold as the pattern, she with her thin and slightly under-developed figure then headed towards the shower. The red haired woman turned the faucet on to the coldest water she could stomach. Perhaps the cool cascading waters would soothe her excruciating hangover. Her eyes aching from the pain she slowly stepped into the shower praying relief would soon come her way. However, as she took one step underneath the frigid liquid, she was sadly mistaken. The incessant pounding of the cold water only aggravated her induced state all the more and made her body riddle with goose bumps. In a flash, she dashed out of the cold shower grabbing a towel to warm herself as she adjusted the water to a much warmer setting.

Already the day was proving to be an arduous one.

After getting herself dressed enough to get out of the bathroom, the woman stumbled into her equally tiny kitchen, her head hanging down to look at her laminate flooring. Reaching up in a sparse cupboard she grabbed one of the few glasses she had in her possession. Going to the kitchen sink she filled it to the brim with water and began pouring the faucet water into her dinky coffee pot parked right next to the sink. Perhaps some strong coffee would cut the hangover down to size. Still, not wanting to take a chance on that alone, the redhead reached in another equally sparse cupboard in search of pain relief pills. To her surprise, she was down to her last two. Without hesitation, she popped them into her mouth and swallowed them with the remaining water from her coffee making.

Within the span of a few minutes, she had her hot, black coffee in her hand. The bitter taste of the caffeinated grounds was one she adored. Screw drinking espressos with fancy names she couldn't pronounce, straight coffee was her preference. No cream. No sugar. Just straight coffee was perfect. Her tongue moved about as the muddled brown liquid flooded her mouth. Her head might have been killing her, but the feeling and taste of this beverage was pure Nirvana that she sopped up like a sponge.

In accompaniment of said drink in hand, she noticed the red flashing light of her answering machine blaring. Thanks to the inconvenience of a phone jack only being available near the kitchen counter, that was the only free locality for the woman's home phone. Sauntering over to the recording device, she took another sip of her delicious cup of goodness before pressing 'play'. She had not realized that anyone called late last night. Perhaps because by that point, she was too wasted to recognize the sound of the phone ringing. After pressing said button an automated voice went off after the sound of a beep.

"You have two new messages."

"Two, huh?" she pondered, her eyebrows arched in a puzzled expression. Who would be calling her?

"First unheard message sent Monday at 10:52 pm."

"Hey Inverse, it's Sal from Pizza World."

It had been in fact been the young woman's acquaintance, Sal; an odd duck who owned her favorite pizza joint. He was a man in his early to mid' forties, with a medium tan complexion sporting a classic mustache characteristic of people of his craft. He was also a divorcee of three previous women, and to Miss Inverse; Sal was the best pizza maker in all of Seyrunn. The two had met one night after one of her many escapades and suffice it say, they created an odd attachment for one another.

"I was thinkin' about that part you were tryin' to hassle onto me. Well, it's your lucky day. I need it. One of the pizza ovens quit on me and instead of payin' a repair man to replace it, I thought it would be cheaper to just buy it from you and do it myself. So, when ya have a second, give me a call. Sooner than later would be better. Hope you're doin' alright kiddo. Talk with ya later."

In regards to what the pizza man was referring to, the young redhead was a bit of a pack rat collecting spare parts and other peculiar items like they were gold and prized jewels. Not that she loved being a hoarder or it was a compulsion for her to have junk all over her house. Her goal was to sell them for the highest price any sucker would agree to pay for and come up with a generous profit. Alas for Miss Inverse, she didn't have too many customers prepared to pay her steep prices. Which made her house a bit of a pig sty. Her living room was not meant for any kind of living; littered with junk up to where it covered the majority of her furniture. She just didn't have the storage space for it all. Fortunately for Sal though, she knew exactly where the item in question was and she would make an exception on her original price and reduce it down 10%. Kind of her family/friends discount.

Laughing to herself the redhead replied, "I knew he'd crack."

Then came the second message.

"Second unheard message sent today at 5:55 am."

Rolling her eyes initially the woman groaned, "God, Sal. Really?"

Little did she realize that the one who left the message was not Sal.

"Lina? Lina pick up."

The cool female voice instantly sent shivers up her spine. Her hands began to shake in anxiety. It was her greatest enemy. Forget all the mafias, bandit armadas, and drug dealers that wanted her head on a platter. This is the person she feared over all of the rest of humankind; her older sister Luna.

Even though she was not physically there, the red haired woman still treated the resonating sound of her sister's voice as the most terrifying thing she had ever heard. Grabbing her precious coffee and clutching it tightly, she hid out of sight of the recording machine and listened at the message from afar.

"Look Sis, I know you're there. I think it's in your best interest to pick up the phone." the voice growled clearly irritated by Lina's inability to pick up the phone. "Fine, be a child but know the consequences if you don't call me back in the next few hours. I'll be waiting."

A breath of relief cascaded through her body as the answering machine clicked off. There was still the business at hand of calling her seemingly horrifying sister back, but for now that was the last thing Lina wanted to think about. Alas, she couldn't help but ponder why her sister wanted to talk to her in the first place and what the supposed urgency was. What did she mean by 'for her best interest'?

Trying to get her mind on other things, the redhead went back into the kitchen and grabbed a box of cheap sugary cereal with a crazed cartoon mascot on the front. After all, she took those pain relieving pills and she needed more than coffee in her system. After pouring a reasonable amount in a bowl and dressing it with the remaining milk in her refrigerator, she journeyed with her breakfast to her lone table and chair in the adjoining room; the equivalent of her dining room.

The dog she had unintentionally terrorized was already laying under the table trying to make up for her interrupted slumber and Lina gently prodded the dog with a foot. For most, a Cane Corso being prodded at seemed like an inevitable altercation, but in the case of this dog, she merely turned to her side to let Lina give her a belly rub. It was obvious that even a dog of her reputation was demanded to have ultimate respect to her superior and that dog gave respect to Lina in spades. It may have also aided the woman that this dog was the tragic result of humanity's exploitation of man's best friend.

At the time, Lina had been working on a sting operation to bust a major drug dealer in the murky side of Seyrunn. She worked for the country's Federal Bureau of Investigation in the espionage counterintelligence division and it was her assignment to survey and plan a dispatch to take the operation down. In the process of living in this neighborhood and doing her job though, her attention was directed to a young dog being severely abused and neglected. The drug dealer Lina was investigating not only had a successful drug cartel operation, but also had an underground dog fighting business. This young female that Lina witnessed was a dog around two to three years of age. She was the breeding bitch that was tied to a tree with little more than an empty oil drum as her only protection from the elements and had been in many scrapes from her owner, his goons, and her breeding partners. Her ears were practically ripped to shreds and she herself was not a viscous animal by nature. After her so-called owner's business was busted, and the man himself was then shot to death by Miss Inverse, the dogs that were housed in the estate were taken to animal control with the intent of euthanasia. The two males that she was forced to breed with were deemed unable to rehabilitate and were destroyed. But the pleading eyes of this Cane Corso looking up at Lina as she was being escorted off the premises was heart-wrenching for the normally callous Lina Inverse to witness. Especially since she had been watching this poor creature from the beginning of her sting operation. So before she could be killed, the red haired woman went down to animal control to see if she could be saved. Sure she killed her owner but ultimately the young woman knew that giving her a new chance at life was the way to remedy her pain and the dog's. In no time, the dog reciprocated to Lina's warm tenderness, a side not a lot of people had ever seen. Ever since then, the dog was one of the few living things Lina showed her soft side to. Still, this supposedly fuzzy feeling storybook ending didn't have its drawbacks. Because the dog had only been known as her species correct but demeaning name, Bitch, that's all she would ever respond to. But, with Lina being a bit crass herself, she didn't even flinch when she said, "C'mon, Bitch. Let's go home." as they left animal control.

So on this particular morning as Bitch turned over to show her underbelly to her owner, Lina couldn't help but smile and rub her tummy with her foot murmuring, "Good girl."

The tender moment was halted though as the shrill ringing of a mobile phone spooked both Lina and the dog. It was her cell phone, tucked away in her tan shoulder bag which hung over the very chair she was sitting on. Groaning a little in exasperation, the woman reached behind her and fumbled around until she felt out the incessant ringing device. Pulling it out though, she noticed that the number was one she was not familiar with. It was not one of the few contacts she had stored in her phone which initially made her think to not answer it. Not to mention, by the time she grabbed the damn phone it was on its last ring before going to voicemail. After waiting for some sort of message to be left, it was determined that there was no message left. So it was easy to say it was a wrong number that dialed.

Resuming her breakfast, which had now morphed into semi-soggy cereal, Lina brushed off the phone call and returned to her early morning consumption. Then came another set of rings from her phone, now lying next to her lower arm which rested on the table. The pulsating sound of the phone caused the device to jolt about as it lay on the wooden surface.

It was the same number as before.

The redhead suddenly began to panic. Was her sister trying to call her again?! Lina knew well that her sister never revealed her phone number to her and on a normal day, she wouldn't care. But the fact that she left such an ominous message earlier caused her heart to race in apprehension. Shakily, she grabbed the phone and without asking who the caller was, the young woman broke down and shrieked, "Please don't kill me! I was meaning to call you back, Sis! I swear! Just please don't kill me!"

There was silence for a brief moment after her outburst of fear but rather than the cool cynical voice of her elder sibling replying to her pleas, came the sound of a man. Starting out as a likely conversation with himself, the man decided to ask who it was he had just gotten a hold of.

"Have I dialed the wrong number? That wouldn't make sense. This was the number provided for me, so it must be her. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask now would it? Well, I am sorry to call you and cause such distress to your person Miss, but I was trying to get a hold of Lina Inverse. May I ask if I have reached her?"

Seemingly to calm down knowing that it wasn't her sister, Lina exhaled silently but stayed on her toes in apprehension that her sister hired someone to call her.

Arching her eyebrows in suspicion the redhead retorted, "Who wants to know?"

The man replied earnestly, "I assure you Miss that I am not out to cause you bodily or psychological harm. I work with the FBI as you do in a new division that I cannot fully disclose at this time. Top secret, you know."

Chortling to the man's response, Lina answered, "Well, that doesn't really satiate my apprehension. How do I know you really are working with the FBI? What's so secret about this division of your's that you can't tell me?"

Hearing the murmur of the man on the other end of the phone, he replied, "To be honest Miss, I am simply not comfortable talking about this particular matter over the phone. I prefer to talk with people in person and this is a matter I cannot fathom to leak out regarding any of this division's information and investigations."

Again, Lina was able to retort to the man's words. "Well, that really does not help ease my apprehensions of your unknown intentions. If you don't work for the FBI, I'm sure the Seyrunn government is picking up on this little conversation right now. If you do, the government will be pretty pissed you leaked out even subliminal information." She sighed, "I guess I have no choice. Just know that I can defend myself if you're deciding to pull some sick stunt. Where do ya wanna meet?"

Getting agitated with the woman's ornery nature, the man gritted his teeth and growled mildly, "I am three houses down the corner of Sycamore Street on the north end of the province. I'll see you in twenty minutes."

"Make it forty." Lina rebutted. "Gotta finish breakfast. Believe me, if you are legit, any case you're investigation right now can wait 'till I finish my Kandy Krispy Krunch."

The indistinguishable voice of the man blared from the phone as Lina pulled it away from her ear and hung up the present call. Looking at her now unrecognizable morning meal and then glancing down at Bitch still laying under the table, Lina murmured to her, making her head perk up to look in her direction, "Hey Babe, ya wanna go on a little car trip?"

* * *

Meanwhile, the man Lina had been conversing with minutes earlier was busy spouting off in frustration and complaining to lesser informants. In his physical form, he was Caucasian in skin tone, and his age was most likely in the mid-forties to early fifties; wrinkles littering his complexion. Sporting a blue trench coat, a flamboyant pink scarf, and long burnt sienna hair tied back in a pony-tail, his often squinted eyes were closed to their maximum capacity as his thick eyebrows furrowed in agitation.

"How could the Director possibly want that woman to be a part of this division? She is clearly paranoid, rude, crass, and irresponsible. And that was assessed in a five minute phone call! Ugh, I can only imagine what she's like in person."

Rubbing his temple in rising agony, the man's eyes opened slightly to make out the sight of a small car pulling up to the scene. After the car came to a complete stop, and the engine was turned off, a large figure stepped out from the dinky vehicle. Walking towards him, he saw that it was a tall man with long blonde hair, sporting a men's wear suit, a white undershirt, and a red tie. His eyes twinkled like sapphires and a broad grin graced his face. At least, this seemed to be a friendly encounter.

"Hi there!" The tall blonde called out to the older gentleman.

The elder of the two waved back to the younger man and called, "You must be Agent Gabriev. Thanks for coming out this morning."

Once within a couple feet of the older man, the agent replied, "Ah, don't be so formal. Call me Gourry!"

Taken aback slightly by the agent's lack of formality the wrinkled man answered, "Well, Mister Gourry, I appreciate you being here. This case is..." he paused for a moment looking away from his younger counterpart. His gaze returned to Gourry once more and finished his original comment. "This case is most likely the likes no one in our present time has ever witnessed before."

Scratching his head from the ominous tone in the man's voice Gourry confusedly replied, "Gee, this must be something important if you put it like that."

A nod from the older gentleman reciprocated the blonde man's assumption. Before anything else could transpire between the two of them though, the sound of a person riding their brakes became closer to their vicinity. Drawing both men's attention, the gaze fell on the sight of an expensive blue convertible going through the convulsions of inching forward and then stopping. Suffice it to say, the driver was most likely trying to find the address they wished to go to and ruining their brakes unintentionally in the process. Both men looked up to look at the driver to see a young woman with dark purple hair, a peachy glow, an over-sized white sun hat, and soft doe eyes the shade of cobalt staring in their general direction. Apparently, she realized that this was her destination. She bit her bottom lip a little as she began the seemingly arduous task of putting her car in park. After more awkward re-positioning of the vehicle and riding the brakes further. The engine was finally silenced and the young woman opened her door and pranced her way to the two men holding onto her hat with one of her hands. Getting a better look at her, it was duly noted that this woman was petite in frame but curvy in build. She sported a beige trench coat with a white sun dress underneath matching her large hat. While flouncing her way toward the two figures, she struggled to reach them as her four inch heels made it a precarious effort. All in all, she didn't look like she was the type of person warranted to be at such a scene. Little did they realize that in fact, she was.

"I am so sorry I'm late!" the young woman cried as she struggled to reach them. "I guess I'm not used to driving around this area of Seyrunn. So you must be Mister Gourry and Mister Wizer, right?"

The elder gentleman coughed a little in regards to being merely identified as "Mister Wizer". He was a man of impeccable rank and was never bashful of informing people so. "Ahem, yes Miss. I am Inspector Wizer Freion; formerly the head of Investigation in Ruvinagald's FBI." The man took another good look at the young lady as he noticed her sporting the ancient crest of the once prominent Seyrunn royal family on a lapel fastened to her coat. It had be centuries since Seyrunn was the subject of a monarchy, being one of the first countries to convert to democracy, but the Seyrunn family bloodline still ran deep in the city. This girl was yet one of those descendants of the once royal family.

"Am I to assume that you are Amelia, the daughter of the FBI's Director, Philionel El Di Seyrunn?" he questioned to her.

Nodding in pride Amelia responded, "Yes, sir! I, like my father possess a great passion for all things in the name of justice! So here I am to aid in such an effort!" Striking a dynamic pose, the two men near her sweat dropped from her immense gusto. Alas, gravity and the immense height of her shoes caused the young woman to tumble towards the pavement. Fortunately, Gourry was able to catch her before her face met the hard, cold surface.

Truth be told, Amelia's immense dedication to what was deemed right and just often caused her actions to backfire in her face. Starting off in the FBI thanks her familial connection, Amelia didn't have to go through such rigorous training as the rest of the FBI's informants. No military training was required of her and the earning of no more than an Associate's degree in Communications was enough for her to get in as she first started with the most remedial of jobs; the FBI tip line. Let's just say between not knowing how to coordinate incoming phone calls, accidentally hanging up on people that needed to be transferred and haphazardly spilling hot beverages on five phones and eight keyboards, it was clear this wasn't the position for her. She needed to do something that would allow her to expel her excess energy and channel her desire for justice in a more appropriate way. Alas, Philionel had great concern for the welfare of his little girl. So instead of putting her through arduous physical and combative training to be an agent in the field, her father transferred her to be an assistant to the Scientific Response Unit; helping collect and retrieve samples from lab to lab and occasionally getting people food and beverage. While she had no expertise in anything remotely scientific, Amelia did acquire the skills to work within a team which ultimately aided in her maturity and ability to maintain a job. Still, she had a ways to go. All Wizer could assume was that Philionel wanted to see how she would do with a taste of experience in the field. Whatever the case, the older man knew they were burning daylight and it was time to get a move on to the big matter at hand.

Trying to break up the awkward silence, Wizer motioned for the two to enter the house. "Come," he gestured, "This is something you have to see."

Stepping into the house with slight reservation, both Amelia and Gourry looked about as the signs of a struggle were evident the further and further they moved through the abode. The kitchen showed signs of a panicked individual with various items haphazardly scattered about. The remnants of a kale salad lay on one of the counter tops, and it was evident that whoever lived here was hustling about trying to find something. Perhaps a weapon to defend themselves to an intruder?

Venturing into the living room, what was first portrayed as a mild mess in the previous room had evolved into carnage and a sign of past havoc. There was evidence of gun shots fired within the vicinity, an obvious sign of a break-in with a window in the far section of the room was smashed, blood dotted the carpeting, and a bloody sweater lay abandoned on the floor. It was a woman's sweater. The presence of that article of clothing alone sent shivers up Amelia's spine and any inclination of utter enthusiasm diminished in a matter of seconds. It was then brought to her attention that there was something abnormally large in the middle of the room. The figure was mammoth in proportion with scaly skin the color of gold. Looking at obvious anatomical detail, the young woman shrieked in amazement and terror.

"A dragon?!"

* * *

"This was the ailing relative of a young woman by the name of Filia Ul Copt." stated the very stoic Wizer Freion. "He was neither a grandparent on her maternal or paternal side. Elder, as we're told she referred to him as, was once a revered priest many, many years ago. Admired by all in her family and in the religious group they were a part of, he was a symbol of wisdom and greatness. Alas, as he aged, his health deteriorated both physically and mentally. Before his untimely demise, he was merely a shell of the man he once was, confined to a wheelchair, helpless and needing personal assistance for even the most mundane of tasks."

Still aghast with the mythic monstrosity in front of her, Amelia was speechless. Common knowledge told her that this was an impossible sight. It was well-known to people throughout the land that dragons were believed to be extinct from extensive hunting, loss of habitat, and segregation into tiny provinces that could not sustain even a small population. Yet, here was a once living, breathing golden dragon in a living room in a Seyrunn suburb. But there was another thing that troubled Amelia in the back of her mind. How could this obvious reptilian behemoth be viewed as a human before today?

Trying her best to shake off her initial shock, Amelia inquired, "You said this girl had family. Do we know if there are...others?"

The older man looked towards the young girl and replied, "The rest of her known family has perished in years past leaving her to be the elder's sole provider. The woman next door commented that Miss Ul Copt's status as a student made the cost of assisted living services virtually impossible to obtain. She felt bad for her and always tried to help when she could. "

Further she inquired, "Do we know anything about this Filia? You said she was a student?"

Again, Wizer answered with as much knowledge as he had acquired. "Yes, we do. From what we've gathered from neighbors and acquaintances, Miss Ul Copt is a bright and successful graduate student at Seyrunn University majoring in Philosophy of Religion and Theology. As far as her whereabouts yesterday, people we've talk to say she was continuing her work on her dissertation, partaking in intellectual debates, and meeting with her adviser. Close neighbors noticed her coming home around dusk last night and soon after she arrived, they did hear the sound of glass breaking and gun shots that were fired. 911 calls were made and a squad was dispatched, but by the time reinforcements came, she was gone."

His normally closed eyes sealed themselves as tightly as possible as his hands migrated to the upper portion of his face. The grimace on his face deepened into a distinctive frown. It was clear he was distraught that there was still no sign of the young girl. Wizer might have been a wee bit eccentric at times and was borderline annoying, but when it came to trying to give safety to the people he was sworn to protect, he took his job very seriously. A sigh slipped from his lips as he tried to accentuate the positive facts of the case, though there were a dismal number of things to highlight. "Fortunately, the body had not transformed by the time police arrived. Had that happened, we might have ended with mass hysteria, especially, God help us, if the media had gotten a hold of this."

Despite the overflow of information at present, Amelia only had a question after each explanation.

"What do you mean by "transformation" Mister Wizer?"

Perhaps snapping at her from the anguish he felt regarding the lack of Miss Ul Copt's whereabouts, or simply being degraded by her slew of questions, the seasoned investigator growled, "What am I the encyclopedia? I can't answer every one of your questions! All I know is that this monster was a human when he was alive!"

Hurt a little, the young woman retreated back a few steps and whimpered.

Realizing what he did Wizer tried to apologize for his rash reaction, but before he could enact it properly, he heard the sound of munching and "mmm" sounds coming from a short distance away. It was Agent Gabriev, dining on what appeared to be remnants of the victim's last meal; the Tuna Noodle Casserole.

"What are you doing?!" Inspector Freion roared, "You are eating the evidence! Not to mention, that stuff has been most likely sitting out all night! God knows what bacteria might be growing in it!"

Gourry just gazed up at the flustered man and Amelia with soft, innocent eyes and just continued chewing the bite presently in his mouth. Swallowing, the blonde man simply smiled and urged, "Doesn't taste bad to me. Actually, it's pretty tasty!"

Both the seasoned investigator and young woman sweat dropped at the agent's voracious, if not repulsive appetite.

Trying to get off the seemingly disgusting topic now before them, Wizer tried again to apologize to the purple haired woman. "Miss Seyrunn. I am terribly sorry. I did not mean to snap. I was merely trying to say that at this time, we don't know how a seemingly ordinary human would transform into a dragon during rigor mortis."

Amelia simply nodded, now retching over the image of Gourry eating a casserole that had sat out overnight. "It's alright Mister Wizer," she assured the older man, "I know you told me all you know at this time."

Feeling a little better, Wizer simply nodded his head in agreement and glad that the young woman understood his feelings and accepted his apology. "Well, it will be quite a precarious effort, but it's time to transport this beast back to our research lab. Perhaps we will learn more from our scientist friends down in the Scientific Response Unit."

With a simple gesture with his hands which signaled the removal of the body, Amelia could only wonder how a team of people could get a golden dragon out of a living room without destroying the foundation of the house and not calling attention to the general public.

Before any inquiry could be interjected though, there came the sound of a car's tires screeching on the asphalt road outside Miss Ul Copt's residence. Followed by the deafening sound came an ominous crash, most likely the previously mentioned vehicle running into another automobile. In a mad dash, Gourry dropped the remnants of the casserole and headed towards the door praying that the car supposedly damaged wasn't his. Amelia, also showing concern for both people and her car followed suit. Alas for Agent Gabriev, he was to gaze upon an unpleasant sight.

"Ah! My car!" he cried at the sight of his petite vehicle.

While it was far from being totaled, Gourry's car had received substantive damage on the rear bumper and the rear window which was shattered with shards of glass littering the immediate area. Another, more enormous monstrosity, had rammed itself right in the back of his sweet little automobile; a giant, run down truck to be precise. In the driver's seat was a redheaded woman with fiery eyes slightly visible under her badass sunglasses.

That was Lina Inverse.

Jumping out of her vehicle, Lina heard the distant hollering of: "Hey! What's the big idea?! Why did you ram into my car?" and her sight locked onto a tall blonde man running to her general direction with an angry look plastered on his face.

"I guess this is his car." she nonchalantly said to herself. Shrugging it off, the redhead resumed to going around to the passenger side to get Bitch out of the truck.

Suffice it to say, the Cane Corso was a little shaken up regarding the accident, as she sat in the passenger seat quivering from the after-shock. With some gentle prodding and getting a hold of Bitch's studded collar, Lina was able to get her out of the car as soon as the infuriated man reached them.

"I said, why did you ram into my car?" barked the blonde.

Being her usual self, Lina came up with a cynical response. "What can I say? It was in my way." she snickered as she grabbed a better hold of her dog's matching leash.

Hardly satisfied with that answer the man approached her once more to say his two cents. "Now just a minute here-"

Gourry was cut off at that moment as Bitch began growling and barking in his direction. With her remnant of a tail tucked under her body and being in a frightened posture, it was clear that she wasn't acting out of pure aggression but out of induced anxiety. Perhaps the tone or volume of the man's voice was reminiscent of her previous owner's and the sheer sound sent her into a psychotic episode. Whatever the case, the combination of her vocalizations and her prominent and intimidating eyes, sent Gourry into a slight shriek as the dog struck a chord in his fear response.

"Hey, girl." Lina assured to her pet, trying to soothe her as she gained further restriction on her leash. The woman then went down on her level and began hugging her loosely to further calm her as she continued her efforts.

It was at that point that Amelia graced the scene as she flounced over to Lina and her distressed canine.

"Aww! What a cute doggie!" she squealed in delight as she caught sight of the frightened animal. Bitch's eyes turned attention to the exuberant young girl, and her anxiety only increased.

"Cute?! That thing wanted to rip my face off!" Gourry yelped.

"She's just stressed, no thanks to you, ya big idiot!" the redhead snarled in reply.

Getting annoyed by the woman's callous responses and what she did to his car, Gourry replied haughtily, "No. I think it's because you rammed into my car!"

"Oh, is that all you talk about? You must really not think that much if your car is all you yammer about. Besides, what's so great about that piece of shit? I don't even think a guy like you could fit in that Playskool toy!"

"People, must we bicker like this? We don't want to call any more attention than we already have!"

The booming male voice coming from behind the three people belonged to none other than Wizer trying to prevent a further calamity from taking place.

Picking up on his vocalization brought recollection to Lina's mind. It was then that she realized that this was the man who called her ominously this morning.

"So you must be the creep who called me earlier, am I right?" inquired the fiery redhead.

With a swift nod, Wizer replied, "Yes that would be me Miss Lina Inverse. I am Inspector Wizer Freion; the former head of Investigation in Ruvinagald's FBI Headquarters. "

"Former head, huh?" Lina questioned, cocking her eyebrows in a perplexed fashion. "So were you kicked out of Ruvinagald's division, or did you just find Seyrunn to be more of your type of venue?"

Coughing due to being uncomfortable with talking about the details of his change in work locality, and merely wishing to hurry the introductions along, the man assured the agent. "That is not necessary information for you to know at the moment, Miss Inverse. All you need to know is that we are in the process of unraveling quite the mystery at the moment and that I require your expertise on this assignment."

Of course, having no idea of what this mission entailed Lina went along with what this man was asking for and answered, "Sure, I'll do what I can. Tell me what kind of espionage we're looking at."

Silence circulated between the people around her. This only made the young woman confused. "You know I work in espionage counterintelligence, right? So surely, you need me for some sort of espionage based notion?"

It was then that Lina caught glimpse of something hastily covered by two large black bags being carried off by three men and being put in the back of an FBI labeled SWAT vehicle. The gold color of the unknown object naturally attracted the young woman's eyes; being that she was a sort of treasure hunter or sorts. However, she soon realized that what she was seeing was certainly not priceless currency. Rather, with its sinuous nature and scaled texture, Lina had to ask with mouth agape, "Is- is that a tail?! What the hell is going on here?"

After taking the shocked Lina aside and explaining the situation in detail, Wizer ended his rundown by telling her, "I know it's a lot to take in and this isn't the type of work you are used to, but I assure you Miss Inverse, you are vital to this operation and I am asking you from the bottom of my heart to help assist me in investigating this case. I have additionally requested the help of three others to join the effort, two of which you have just met and another you will meet back at Headquarters."

Turning to look back at the people she apparently made bad impressions with earlier, Lina could see the sheepish wave of Amelia and the ever still ticked off Gourry. Returning her attention to the brown haired man, the woman responded, "So you're telling me that you want me, Lina Inverse, a specialist in espionage, to assist you in solving the case of the mysterious death of a mythical creature in accompaniment with those two and God knows who else?"

"Doesn't that sound exciting?" boomed the elder man in reply.

Motioning with little more than her head turning away and putting a hand in his general direction, it was clear that Lina wanted no part in the shindig.

"I don't think this is my kind of scene, old man. Something about this mission just doesn't sit right with me."

Gesturing to the dog that they were to depart, Lina began to strut off from the inspector as he begged for her to reconsider. Alas, the young woman wasn't buying any of her pleas.

"Best of luck with the mission, and no hard feelings, okay?" she called to him as she ventured off.

After getting Bitch back in the truck and pulling away, Lina could still make out the faces of the people she had just encountered. While she insisted that she didn't want any involvement in what was going on, she couldn't help but wonder if she did the right thing in denying this request.

* * *

Aside from negotiating with Sal to bring his requested item tomorrow morning, Lina retired very early in the day. The whole ordeal with Inspector Wizer and company, was still nagging at her for some reason, but despite her pondering on the matter, she was dead set on not returning to get wrapped up in a matter that really did not require a person of her expertise.

When she finally reached her house, the young woman jumped out of her truck and walked to the passenger side to get Bitch out. Suspecting she was in need of some relaxation, Lina navigated her to the enclosed backyard and let her off the leash so she could frolic. Closing the gate behind her loveable pooch, the redhead called out, "Have a good time, girl. You deserve it after what we went through today." With a wag of her stubby tail, Bitch was off carrying a toy she had abandoned previously in the backyard.

As Lina entered the house, she still felt a sense of unpleasantness. Figuring it was nothing more than the ponderings she was harboring from earlier, she thought nothing of her feelings until she caught ear of a familiar voice resonating from her answering machine.

"How could you act like that when you were at the scene of a crime? I applaud you're caring for a living being besides yourself, but God, did you have to make such a production?"

Shivers flew up Lina's back and her hair literally stood on end.

It was her sister calling once more.

Yet, instead of being frightened beyond belief, the young woman found it suspicious that her sibling had knowledge of the days past events. So she proceeded to pick up the phone (she was bound to call her back anyway) and asked, "How did you know what happened at the crime scene?"

A pause came from the other end before her elder sister growled, "Don't tell me you've been standing by the phone this whole time."

Feeling a little braver that previously, or trying to put up a brave front, the younger sibling replied, "Hell no. I just got home. But forget the formalities, how on earth do you know about my whereabouts?"

As always, Luna was ever the ominous and secretive type. "All you need to know is that I have my sources, little sister."

A nervous laugh crept into Lina's throat. It didn't matter how hard she tried to be courageous when talking with Luna, the result was always the same. Sheer fear took over her.

Trying to shake off her anxiety though, Lina attempted to keep some composure and decided to do a little bit of deduction. "Well, um, I'm supposing this is the job you were referring to in your first message?" No wonder she felt guilt ridden earlier. It could only be that reason.

"Very good little sister," Lina's sister answered coolly. "You're catching on."

Yet, like all siblings, no matter how much Lina feared her elder sister, she couldn't help but murmur condescending sounding gibberish to Luna's belittling.

Alas, Luna was not the tolerant type. "Enunciate sister. I can't understand a word you're saying. But by your tone, it sounds condescending. Am I right?"

In an effort to cover her childish antics and putting forth another nonchalant persona the younger woman replied, "Nah, just jottin' down my grocery list- butter, milk, eggs. You know, all that shit."

"You are ever the prime picture of civility, aren't you?" the elder of the two snickered.

Before more of this type of exchange was to transpire, Luna took initiative to get back on track of why she called her sister in the first place. "Listen," she spoke in a definite voice, "you must take this job. No exceptions. If you don't, unspeakable things are going to occur. Events beyond the scope of man's wildest and most calamitous thoughts."

That last sentence did strike a chord with Lina. It was definitely obvious that what she just heard of today was by no means an everyday occurrence. It was very much on the fringe of what people associated within the barriers of reality and fiction. Maybe if this mystery were to be dismissed, even more unexplainable things would occur. The only question would be to what extent would these phenomena affect?

"You mean to me or the world?" she asked nervously.

Snappily, her sister answered. "Both. Now, I want you to call Wizer Freion back and tell him you've reconsidered. You take the job and do your damn best to resolve anything that comes your way." A brief pause descended allowing Lina to agree to the terms of her sister's request. However, Luna was to interrupt her with a threat informing her of what would happen if she messed up. "If I hear one more negative remark of your tomfoolery and asinine antics, you know the consequences."

Getting even more apprehensive Lina shakily cried, "Okay, okay Sis. I'll take the job."

"Don't screw up."

The sound of dial tone resonated in the redhead's ear as the receiver signaled that her sister had hung up on her. Putting the phone received back in its proper place, the young woman ran a hand through her thick auburn hair.

With those last utterances from her sister, Lina knew she had no choice. It was time to suck in her pride and rebellion and face this challenge head on. After all, she did not want to contend with her sister on the matter.

All the same, she couldn't help but contemplate her sister's grim prophecy.

* * *

Blinding light flashed in Filia's eyes as she tried to gain a sense of her surroundings. All she could remember was that everything went dark after she screamed her desperate prayer. Her plea to be forsaken. How could she forgive herself of what had transpired? She knew that she should have ran to Elder's side immediately after hearing the shattering of glass when that mysterious man entered her home. Perhaps if she had done that, Elder would have still been alive. With that said, all she could have done was beg for forgiveness.

She learned right away that the blinding light in front of her was merely a high powered light shining directly on her. The rest of her surroundings though were pitch black. There was no determining whether the endless dark held a door to escape from and wandering away from the immediate light source would leave her to meander blindly in the dark. Not that she could even traipse about if she wanted to. The young woman felt a cold and heavy accessory in her wrists. Looking down, she saw that she was handcuffed to the floor and further discovery told her that her ankles were also bound by similar shackles. While there was give to the chains, it was hardly enough to migrate away from her immediate spot. Just enough slack to re-position herself if her body began cramping.

A chill ran through her body from the sheer cool air around her and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end from the sound of a familiar melodic voice which seemed to materialize in her presence.

"My, my. Where are my manners? This is certainly no way to treat a beautiful lady such as yourself."

A small smile crept on the figure's face, his violet irises visible to his captive.

Spinning around in the direction of the vocalization, Filia began rattling off in distress to the dark figure. She had to get to the bottom of what had and what was to transpire.

"Look, what do you want from me?" she cried. "I-I don't have money, I'm barely making my tuition payments. Did I do something to someone you love? If I did I am terribly sorry, but this isn't the way to dispatch revenge. And-and why did you kill Elder? Did he do something to you?"

The smile vanished as she spoke and his eyes closed again to the mere slits they were defaulted to be. She was talking too much and she had no idea what was up his sleeve. With rhythmic motion, her captor walked around her as if he was a dance partner about to partake in a passionate tango, the click of his black shoes resonating in the space around them.

"No, my dear. I don't want any currency and I don't have the ability to love anyone. So both your assumptions are false."

There was a short pause. Then he answered in response to her last two related questions, "As for your precious Elder, yes, he has caused me and my colleagues distress in the past. But I assure you, I didn't kill him as an act of vengeance. He simply would just-be in the way of what I need."

Filia began to think the worse, did this sick bastard want to-

Before she could finish her dreaded thought, the violet haired man cut her off as if he could read her mind. "And before you suggest that I want to take advantage of your...female anatomy, again, you are mistaken."

It just didn't make sense. What was this guy after?

Motioning over to the young woman, the violet haired figure bent down and looked into her cerulean irises. "Again, my humblest of apologies. I only restrained you for your own safety. It would have been disastrous if you had injured yourself considering you had already been through a great ordeal."

He began to reach in his coat pocket seeming to be looking for something. Perhaps a key to free her from her prison.

No.

As if by magic, a plate of dessert appeared in front of Filia's eyes.

"Tea Cake?" he asked as he extended the offering towards her.

Filia gazed at the light and moist delicacy. There was no denying that it looked superb. Due to the previous night's affair, it was true that she was quite famished. She could even catch the slight scent of fresh vanilla resonating in the frosting. Despite the temptation though, she was more preoccupied in her present position and the likelihood that this shady individual tampered with the food.

"Oh, I see. You believe I've drugged it with something. My, you have been wrong with every assumption you have had regarding my actions."

Filia snapped at her impounder, "How could I not think that? You break into my house, kill Elder, take me hostage by knocking me out with what I'm assuming is a tazer, and chain me to the floor of a dark room!"

A long pause fell between them, neither party moving a muscle.

At last, Filia could no longer take the silence. She drew a deep breath and realized the only way to help herself get out of this predicament was to be as calm as possible. Then again, that was an easier thing to say than to enact when one was held up in such a precarious state. All the same, Filia did her best to do exactly that.

"If I am getting all your assumptions wrong, why don't you just tell me? What is it that you want? You said I was important, right? Well, tell me why you need me so badly?"

Silence descended across the pair once more but before long a soft euphoric chortle resonated in her kidnapper's throat. With eyes opened ajar and a wily grin imprinted on his face, he whispered in her ear, "Now that is a secret."

TO BE CONTINUED...

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hello, my dear readers. I do hope you have enjoyed the first chapter of what is proving to be an enormous fanfic. Chapter One: Part Two will be published up here soon and with any luck, I can get this project done in the next few months. This is my first attempt at an AU for any franchise, so please be easy on me with that aspect. Can't think of much else to say other than I hope you all like this fanfic and will keep interest in it. Thanks again for reading!


End file.
